Verita

by Tracy Rozzlynn

  Instead, Brody kisses my hair and whispers, “Go and enjoy your shower now. I’ll see you tomorrow.” With a quick squeeze of my hand, he turns and heads back towards the rec halls.

  I head into the dorm to take my shower, to wash off the sweat, to cool myself down, and hopefully get some rationality back. I don’t know why I’m feeling so disgruntled that Brody left. I was the one who wanted a shower so badly. And now that I can, I feel abandoned by him, because I couldn’t finish my kiss.

  After my shower, I still have a while before curfew. So I decide to take a walk. I catch myself absentmindedly rubbing my lips. They are slightly swollen: it really had been a hard kiss. I’ll have to go to the supply store and get some ChapStick if we’re going to be kissing like that again. A smile spreads across my face at the thought of kissing Brody some more.

  Then the bliss is disrupted – I trip over my own feet and land on my hands and knees on the dusty ground. I’m sure to have some pretty bruises tomorrow. Too bad they’re taking their sweet time to finish the landscaping. Some grass would have at least cushioned my fall.

  That gives me an idea. I dust myself off and head down to the racquetball courts to see if Troy is with Andi. Luckily he is, so I pull him aside, and ask him a few more questions about the bio-domes. By the time we finish talking, it’s almost curfew.

  Chapter 7

  We spend the next morning in the lab deciding what to bring on our field visit. Jake suggests I bring a few traps to see what I can catch. I decline, explaining that I want to observe what there is first.

  “So you’re just going to let another team beat us to the first specimen?” His tone is incredulous.

  “Jake, you can catch, examine and dissect all the insects you want. I’m not stopping you. There’s a limit to how much we can carry, and I just feel that we can obtain more useful information by placing motion-detection cameras. Look at it this way: another team may catch the equivalent to Earth’s raccoon – goodie for them. But the cameras can catch everything that’s out there, including what may decide to stalk us. Which information do you think will be more useful?” My tone is adamant.

  He makes a face. “Yeah, I see your point. It would just be cool to catch something bigger than a spider,” he begrudgingly admits.

  “Well if you do catch a spider, it’s all yours. They’re certainly not my favorite creature to be around.” Jake balks at me.

  “Are you telling me our fearless leader, our biologist, is afraid of spiders?” Now he’s in the middle of a laughing fit.

  “I’m glad I can amuse you. I’m just not fond of them. I’ve held a few tarantulas in my life. It just wasn’t my favorite experience. Besides, did you ever see the movie Arachnophobia?” He shakes his head no, and I explain: “It’s an older movie from the late 80s, my dad thought it was absolutely hysterical. Needless to say, I didn’t. It had spiders the size of a dinner plate, found in the middle of the Amazon. You might want to re-think wanting to catch something larger than a spider.” I snicker and then leave him to his laughter.

  I walk over to Ryan and say, “Can I ask you something?” I try to keep my voice indifferent, remembering his response to me becoming the team lead.

  “Go ahead, shoot,” he offers as he continues to review his packing list.

  “I’d like to find some grass we can use here on the base for landscaping. Can you help me?” I ask in my most innocent tone.

  “Just because you’re the leader doesn’t mean you get to decide what I collect.” I look down and notice Ryan’s hands have balled into fists. Apparently, asking nicely doesn’t work with him.

  “Ryan, come on, don’t you think I know that? That’s why I’m asking and not telling you,” I plead, appealing to his rational side.

  “I guess I can keep an eye out, but it’s not going to be that simple.” I should be glad he’s agreeing, but his tone is condescending. “It will take time studying and cultivating the samples to determine just how invasive the species is, and to make sure it’s doesn’t have any unexpected qualities. We don’t have a large enough area to accomplish that.”

  I struggle to maintain my composure. I don’t like him talking down to me like this, and I don’t like the fact that he’s arguing with me under the guise of agreeing.

  Reminding myself to stay calm and sound nonchalant, I remark, “I know. That’s why I talked to Troy last night. Besides our field labs, I found out that there are unused bio-domes along the northwest side of the base. They’ve been set aside specifically for our use. I figure you could utilize the domes for all your research.” I hope he’ll focus on that and be excited about the new space I had found him, but I’m not that lucky.

  “So asking me is pretty much a pretense.” He crosses his arms and huffs at me. “You already have the next several months planned out for me.”

  “Ryan, no. It’s not like that. I had an idea, but before I brought it up to you and just dumped it in your lap, I wanted to make sure it was feasible.” I watch his scowl deepen. “Look, initially I don’t expect to get that much data to study. You don’t have to commit all of your time to the project. I can collect the samples and work on the research. That way you’re still free to work on what you choose.” I’m starting to get irked; by the look on his face, it seems anything I say is going to be wrong.

  “So my choices are to help you or you’ll just take over my job?” He’s glaring at me now.

  Remain calm.

  I forced a deep breath. “Ryan, is this really about me asking for your help, or is this about me being made the team lead?” I calmly demand, hoping that the shaking I feel isn’t visible.

  “This is about you thinking the title of team lead gives you the right to take everything over and micro-manage everyone.” He turns his back towards me and stares at his list, apparently dismissing me.

  “I’m sorry you feel that way. I simply saw that the base has a need, and I figured we could do something about it. But if you feel that strongly about it, we can wait and let one of the other teams research landscaping materials. They can get credit for it.” I pause to let the comment sink in, then say, “I’m going to the supply store, I suggest you use the time to calm down.” I refrain from adding, “And start thinking rationally.” I turn and head for the door, but then I pause. “Molly, Jake, would either of you like to come?”

  Jake decides to stay behind, so it’s just Molly and I. I’ve never actually taken the time to look through the store. I know most of what I need will be catalog items, but I still need to distract myself and calm down. So I busy myself by looking around the store while Molly finds the items she needs. The store reminds me of an old-fashioned mom and pop store. It has a little bit of everything crammed into every possible corner. The only difference is there are no little price tags stickered onto everything.

  I pause at a glass case in the corner of the store. It is locked and filled with very fancy rings. Most of them are diamonds. The clerk notices me staring and comes over to assist.

  “Sorry, but those are only available to men,” she informs me, a giggle in her voice.

  “So these are all—”

  “Yes, they’re all engagement rings.” She flushes pink as she answers.

  “But then why are they on display? Shouldn’t they be a catalog item? It’s not like anyone’s going to need them anytime soon.” I shake my head in amazement. First the married housing, now the rings. Looks like someone wants us to get married and start popping out kids sooner than later.

  “Actually I’ve already had two selected.” She lets out a long sigh. “I can’t wait until my boyfriend decides to get me one.” She has a dreamy, faraway look on her face.

  “Well good luck on that.” I grab the ChapStick I need and, rolling my eyes, I head over to Molly and the catalog. If she’s pestering him for marriage after less than a week, the only thing he’s going to do is run away screaming. I’m sure the two other rings are in the pockets of boys waiting to use them just so they can get lucky.

&
nbsp; I spend the remainder of my time in the shop ordering catalog items and avoiding the clerk. She’d weirded me out too much with her marriage talk.

  By the time Molly and I return to the lab, Ryan has calmed down. Behind Ryan’s back, Jake gives me a thumbs up and mouths, “We’re good.” I shoot him a thankful look, and I don’t bring the grass up again. We spend the rest of the day reviewing our inventory.

  That night I’m late meeting Andi and the group for dinner. Almost everyone is there – the only exception is Troy.

  “Is Troy working through another meal?” I inquire.

  “No; Hazel.” Zachary rolls his eyes in disgust. I’m confused. He always seemed to get along with Troy.

  “Who or what is Hazel?” I ask quizzically.

  “Hazel is the girl he just met, and now needs to spend every free minute with, looking all love-struck and stupid,” Wendy chimes in, lacking her usually sweet tone. Obviously she’s just as unhappy as Zachary about the development.

  “Is there something wrong with her?” I wonder out loud.

  “Hazel is a perfectly nice girl. In fact, she’s one of the administrators in charge of base functions. These two are just upset that they’ve lost their friend for a while. I’ve already explained to them that they just need to wait it out. Eventually, the newness of the relationship will wear off. They’ll get Troy back, and maybe even a new addition to our dinner group.” Andi gives everyone her knowing look, daring them to argue. Zach and Wendy just push the food around their plates and pout.

  After dinner, I head down to the pool and change. It will be nice to enjoy some water and put the day and its stresses behind me. I enter the pool area and smile. Brody and his friends are already in the pool, playing water volleyball. I hop into the water and swim over to Brody’s side in the deep end.

  “You might have an easier time on the other side where you can touch the bottom,” one of his friends suggests with a patronizing smirk.

  “Thanks, I’ll be fine over here.” I swim into the front row. The sides are now even, six to six. I catch sight of Brody’s friend shooting him a look. I smile to myself; they don’t know about swim team.

  The other side apparently views me as a weak point. They keep directing the ball at me, but after I repeatedly propel myself out of the water to hit the ball back, several times spiking it, they change their minds. I glance back at Brody and smile, but he doesn’t look happy. I wonder if he has had a crummy day too.

  After the game everyone decides to take their turns at the high-dive. I sit back and watch, taking advantage of the time to talk to Brody.

  “Why do you look so grumpy? Bad day?” I grab his hand and run my fingers along his wrist.

  “No.” I wait for him to explain, but instead he pulls his hand away and walks over to the high-dive ladder. Confused, I stare after him and wonder if I did something wrong. Is he still mad at me for leaving dinner early the other night?

  They all take their turns jumping off the ladder feet first. I wince as they all flail their arms and legs around on the way down. Everyone lands with the inevitable slap of skin against water.

  After jumping, Brody walks back over and gives me a kiss. I pull back from the kiss quickly. I’m definitely not comfortable with intentional public displays. Brody notices and settles for wrapping his arm over my shoulders. Another slap of skin meeting the water makes me cringe. Caleb notices.

  “What, is the high-dive too scary for you?” he teases.

  “No,” I answer flatly.

  “Don’t lie. You’ve been shivering, scared the whole time we’ve been jumping.” His eyes have a mischievous glint to them.

  “I just think it shouldn’t be so painful,” I admit.

  “It’s just stings for a second when you land, but it’s worth the rush.”

  “You can have the rush without the pain or risk or injury,” I respond unenthusiastically. I’m not letting him draw me into the game he’s trying to play – even though I know I’d win.

  “Admit it: you’re scared.” I look around and noticed that all of Brody’s friends have gathered around us. I look up at Brody.

  He tries to comfort me. “It okay that you’re scared.”

  “But I’m not,” I insist.

  “Then prove it,” Riley demands. Joining in, goading me.

  “Just like a girl: all talk, but no action,” Caleb snorts.

  Anger twinges in my stomach. That’s it. He has gone too far.

  “Okay, fine. I’ll go, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I stop to jab Caleb in the chest as I pass. “And when I get down, I expect an apology from you.”

  I walk over to the ladder and climb to the top. From below I hear them taunting me, saying that I’ll chicken out. Someone is even clucking. Some friends Brody has. I walk to the end of the board as gracefully as I can, and pivot on my toes, so my back faces the end. I give a quick glance down and see them all watching in silence now, apparently wondering what I’m up too. Smiling, I bend my legs and spring back up, arching my back in the air. I flip backwards, tuck myself into a ball, and complete two backwards somersaults, before untucking and gracefully diving into the water with a small splash. It wouldn’t have received high scores with any judges – that I know from experience – but I’m sure it’s enough to accomplish what I need. I climb out of the water, satisfied to see that they are all speechless.

  “Nice,” Riley finally manages to say. Everyone follows with murmurs of agreement.

  I look directly at Caleb. “Well I guess I was wrong. I’m going to the gym.” Caleb turns and heads for the locker room. Everyone else follows. I make my way to the girls’ locker room and quickly change. When I walk outside, Brody is waiting for me. I smile and walk over to him. My smile fades as I see the look on Brody’s face. He looks pissed.

  “What’s the matter?” I ask, confused.

  “So did you just meet me tonight to embarrass me?” he huffs.

  “What are you talking about? Just how did I embarrass you?” I spit back, abashed.

  “First you jump in front of me in volleyball, as if I can’t manage on my own. Then you refuse a kiss in front of everyone, and decide to show off on the high-dive.” His lips press together in a tight line as he crosses his arms.

  My confusion is replaced with fury. “Is that how you see it?” I think about mentioning how chauvinistic and just plain wrong he is, but decide that might be counterproductive. Instead I focus on the accusations. “First of all, it was your friends that kept hitting the ball at me, and I was in the first row. The back row’s job is to get whatever is beyond the first row’s reach. I’m sorry, but everything was in my reach. Second, you never bothered asking me how I felt about public displays of affection; if you had you would have known they make me uncomfortable. And finally, I was perfectly fine not jumping. It was your friends that started it, I just happened to finish it. And I’ll do it again the next time they imply I can’t do something because I’m a girl.”

  I start to walk away.

  “Wait,” he calls after me.

  “What?” I snap.

  “Sorry.” He sighs. There is a defeated expression on his face. “The guys were harassing me in the locker room, and I let it get the better of me.” He reaches over, pulls me to him and kisses me. The kiss is brief. “You smell like chlorine,” is all he says. Then he walks away, heading toward the gym. I watch him leave, baffled.

  Boys. I just can’t figure them out.

  Time crawls extremely slowly over the next three days. On Friday, Ryan is once again overly polite towards me. He’s obviously still irritated about the grass. I just hope that his mood passes by the time of the field visit. I make no attempts to meet up with Brody over the weekend. I’m still irritated by his reaction at the pool and his abrupt departure.

  So, I spend the majority the weekend with Andi. She keeps us constantly busy, so I don’t have time to mope. And when she thinks I look too somber, she makes me feel better by bashing both Ryan and Brody and criticiz
ing men in general for being perpetual idiots.

  She always knows just what to say.

  Chapter 8

  Finally, the day of the field visit arrives. Dr. Brant informs us that we’ll exit through the northernmost west gate. Our initial search grid abuts that gate. We add two soldiers to our team, Shane and Dean. Their only purpose is to provide protection. I just hope they’ll blend into the background well, and don’t get in our way. Already I have my doubts. Shane is short and stocky, with greasy hair that hangs into his eyes, and he’s constantly sniffling. He’s the complete opposite of what you’d expect a soldier to be. Dean, on the other hand, could be the poster boy for the ultimate soldier. He towers over all of us, has a broad chest, wide shoulders, and arms that are all muscle. With his dark chocolate complexion, fierce black eyes, and stern expression, I’m reminded of a grizzly bear. With Mr. Sniffles and a grizzly in tow, I have absolutely zero chance of seeing any wildlife today.

  But then I’m given some hope. Molly trips and Dean quickly and agilely grabs and steadies her. A warm smile that gives his eyes a twinkle spreads across his face, and I realize there might be more teddy than grizzly to him. A nice, stealthy teddy bear, I hope – then Shane sniffles loudly.

  After waiting for and grabbing a passing shuttle, we stop at the field lab. Dr. Brant gives us a tour. I like this lab even more than the base lab. This is fortunate, because I’ll be spending much more time here than at base. We can’t bring unknown specimens onto the base, so we’ll have to study them in the field lab.

  The field lab is actually a multipurpose building. We’ll use it as a base camp for field visits within walking range, and we’ll spend our quarantine time here when we travel further than the initial one-mile radius.

  The building’s east entrance is connected to the base’s fence and is the only entrance back into the base for us. There are actually two sets of glass double doors. Dr. Brant explains that once field visits past the one-mile radius begin, the outermost door is programmed to open only on the base side. It’s a step to ensure quarantine is maintained. We each must scan our palms to gain access to each door. It seems a bit like overkill to me.